Dovan Farm

Farm of the Month
May 2017

The original farm located in the rolling hills of Somerset County, Berlin, PA was established in 1939 by Joseph & Olive Brode milking 10 cows. In 1971 – 1979 Donald E and Catharine VanGilder continued the tradition milking 40 head. The 1st Parlor was constructed in 1979 allowing them to milk 90 head. Dovan Farms was established with a Partnership that was formed between Donald E and his sons Donald B & David VanGilder in 1982. That partnership changed in 1996 when Donald E VanGilder passed away leaving the farm to his sons. The 1st barn was renovated into a Freestall barn in 1998 milking 200 head. In the year 2000 the 1st Big Barn was constructed starting the new century milking 400 head. Another change came about when sadly Donald B VanGilder passed away in 2004. David & Connie VanGilder began to manage Dovan Farms. Dovan Farms has continued to grow. David learned from his father, Donald E, that innovation is an important part of their business. They strongly believe that advancement is an important part of the family farm. In 2006 they constructed the new parlor allowing them to milk their current herd of 700 with a total number of 900 head of cattle. And most recently in 2017 they added new Juno Feed Pushing Robots to make feeding easier and more efficient. David and Connie now work beside their sons, Justin and Jason and families, leading them into the next generation of VanGilders with strong work ethic, integrity, and innovation that will continue to move the family farm forward.